#6 Reasons Why Online Travel Planning Is The Way Forward Minimising the use of physical currency has further catapulted the growth of online portals at large

By Vishal Kejariwal

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Shutterstock

The travel industry as a whole still tussles between offline agents and online portals.Old-school travellers stick to their agents, since travel planning is still perceived as a task that requires human intervention. Shattering these perceptions is the current trend of the industry which is inclined towards online portals, and it is here to stay.

Ease of Cashless Transactions

The economic scenario in India post demonetisation leans towards promoting cashless transactions. Minimising the use of physical currency has further catapulted the growth of online portals at large. Within the travel domain, the new online players gain leverage on offline travel agents due to online modes of payment.

Offline is Primitive

Offline agents tend to stick to readymade packages that are then shared with several potential travellers. This primitive method of trip planning treats travel as a one-size-fits-all phenomenon. Online travel portals identify this gap and understand the need of personalisation. It is here where the traveller's preferences are of utmost priority and the itinerary is designed as per the individual's needs.Online trip planning also resolves the issues that offline agents and travel operators face with lack of updated knowledge of destinations and attractions within them.

Benefits of Competitive Pricing

Since the online travel space is highly competitive, the pricing is also proportionally competitive. Travellers can benefit from the various offers and discounts to minimize their costs. Moreover, such pricing ensures a transparency of rates where travellers can make comparisons and choose from the best available options.

No Middlemen Needed

Online travel planning makes middlemen, i.e., agents redundant, thereby further eliminating additional costs for the traveller. Travel companies ensure that their portals are user-friendly, so that travellers can navigate their way through the different nodes of trip planning and itinerary creation without any external help.

Round the Clock Access

Unlike offline agents who are bound by specific work hours, online travel portals are accessible round the clock, thus allowing additional flexibility to travellers along with ease of use.

Reviews and Feedbacks

With online travel portals, users have all the information they need about a destination, attraction, hotel and much more beforehand. Reviews, photographs, mapped locations, customer experiences and recommendations further empower potential travellers to make an informed decision. It also serves as a platform for them to give their feedbacks and interact with other travellers, a feature which is absent in offline modes of trip planning.

Though there has been hesitance in planning trips independently, the DIY mode of travel has been a breakthrough especially among millennials. The time and cost-effective feature, coupled with full customisability moves online travel planning from an option to a solution.

Vishal Kejariwal

CEO and Co-founder, Taxidio

CEO and Co-founder of Taxidio, a global DIY trip planner that acts as an umbrella portal for the different aspects of travel such as destination selection, itinerary creation, travel guides, and hotel and attraction bookings. I am an alumnus of NarseeMonjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, and have worked in sectors such as steel, ports, shipping and telecom for one of India’s biggest conglomerates. Having visited over 25 countries, I have taken my penchant for travelling and turned it into a full-time job.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

News and Trends

Recur Club Announces Credit Offerings for Startups Beyond Series A and SMEs

In FY 24–25, the platform also plans to deploy an additional INR 2000 crores through its Recur Swift program for startups.

Business News

IBM Replaced Hundreds of HR Workers With AI, According to Its CEO

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said the move led to more hiring in other areas.

Business News

TikTok Is Laying Off Some U.S.-Based Employees This Week. Here's What We Know.

TikTok did not disclose the number of employees affected by the layoffs.

News and Trends

360 ONE Asset Unveils Early-Stage VC Strategy to Back Next-Gen Unicorns

The early-stage VC strategy is central to 360 ONE Asset's "Idea to IPO" capital stack, providing a seamless investment journey for category-defining startups across consumer technology, fintech Infrastructure, generative AI, and frontier technologies, including spacetech, defence, and precision manufacturing.

Starting a Business

The Business He Started in Response to a Frustrating Grocery Store Experience Surpassed $1 Billion in Sales and Counts Ray Dalio Among Its Investors

Steve Magami, co-founder with Thomas Snyder of Fruitist, was tired of playing "berry roulette."